After 2 and a half years of working with TalktoCanada I finally met my boss. I must admit I was quite nervous — as I’ve never met anyone offline before — I suppose it is a normal thing to meet people offline — or at least it is becoming more and more common place.
Luckily — it was a non awkward meeting — except for the initial part.. Canadians are just awkward people or maybe it’s just me — when we first meet someone that we know really well.. but are meeting for the first time.. there is no gesture that is friendly yet not cold (handshakes are lame — really — unless its a business meeting…). Air kissing is obviously out of the question with Canadians ;) Also we don’t have something to say when we start eating.. I suppose Bon Appetite! But something in English.. ??
We did have quite a bit in common — and I honestly think that we would have been friends even if we met offline first. And although Canada is a HUGE country — we have some random connections (thanks to Facebook for figuring that out for us)!
I’ve told a few people that we’ve met and they ask how it was. I guess people are different online — perhaps more comfortable.. casual.. relaxed — than they are in real life. I wonder if that goes the same for students who take lessons — would they be the same offline? I’ve met a few teachers before — and they are the same online as they are offline… we mostly just talk about funny work stories..
So it was nice.. knowing that my boss is 1) REAL 2) hip… makes me confident in the choices that I’ve made these past 2 and a half years 3) and can crack jokes about TalktoCanada
TalktoCanada.com is a proud user of WebEx to facilitate its online classroom learning with students around the world. WebEx allows both students and teachers to meet and work together (no matter what part of the globe they are from) and improve their English.
TalktoCanada.com increases the interaction with the students by using the different features that WebEx has to offer such as whiteboard sharing, video conferencing, media sharing, and annotations on all documents.
Check out the video below and see how WebEx has made e-learning that much better!
TalktoCanada.com has primarily been focused on teaching adults, but is increasing its “kids” client base. One of our teachers — Lusi Brace — talks about her experience teaching kids online.
She says…”I believe that the online teaching is definitely a breakthrough in education. Working for TalktoCanada I have had the pleasure to teach different nationalities and different ages. In the last couple of months, I’ve started to teach children online. Although for some teachers, it can be challenging to maintain a child’s attention and concentration in a class environment, the online experience does not shy away from that same effort. I would say it requires more effort to keep the child concentrated in a virtual classroom where he or she has an easy access to internet. However as a TalktoCanada teacher I am trained and prepared with materials to keep my students interested in the lessons. I try to organize the lessons to meet each of my student’s needs. I believe that it is important to get as personal in understanding and helping the student whose needs might vary from learning the language, building vocabulary, or reinforcing their reading and comprehension. In a virtual classroom I have from 3 students to just one so it is easy for me to help them acquire the knowledge and skills that they need. When I teach children online I try to keep the lessons as entertaining and simple without forgetting the necessary and essential points of the lesson. More importantly it is easier to also keep in touch with the parents and communicate their child’s strengths, weaknesses and improvements. I welcome any concerns that the parents might have about their child and try to work with them to help the student become better and more prepared. Not many teachers can say that teaching children is effortless, but I can happily confirm that teaching children online is no longer an effort but a pleasure.”
1) Tell me a little bit about yourself: Caddie Bornais, Windsor, Ontario Canada, I have a BA and MA in Philosophy, a BEd, and TESL certification. My favourite band: The Beatles, Favourite book: Einstein’s Dreams, Favourite author: Neil Gaiman. Favourite colour: Red, Favourite Sport: Roller Derby.
2) What was the last book that you read? I just reread Wuthering Heights
3) Describe yourself in 3 words: curious, fun-loving, and offbeat
4) Why do you like Teaching with TTC/Online? It is a lot of fun, you get to meet different interesting people, I really just love teaching, and learning from the students!
5) Motto that you live by: There’s nowhere you can be that isn’t where you’re meant to be
Hey there, I’m Laura and although I’ve been lucky to live in Northern Ontario and British Columbia, the UK and also Taiwan, I currently live in my hometown of Hamilton, On. I guess you could say my house is multi-national as my dog was rescued in Taiwan and my boyfriend is Irish. I love learning about other cultures and working at TTC offers this unique advantage. My favourite travelling experience has to be Indonesia, which is not only beautiful but has fabulous people and truly smells like paradise with all the spices. I hope that one day I can make the trip again. I think people would describe me as hard-working, compassionate and creative as I’m always doing photography, cooking and even sewing. I love the summer and like to be outdoors as much as possible either with friends or just relaxing. (Even though I love reading….I am taking a break as I’ve spent the last few years reading nothing but textbooks!)
Being happy is really important and so is being yourself…honesty plays a big role in my life.
Hi! My name is Dawna Hung. I was born and raised in Ontario, Canada. I have an Honors Bachelor of Arts with a major in History and Arts Administration. I am returning to school this fall to pursue my Bachelor of Education. I love music, theater, art, puzzles, and sitting outside and watching the sun rise. I am also an avid reader. The last book I read was an autobiography called, Sorrow Mountain: The Journey of a Tibetan Warrior Nun by Ani Pachen. If I had to describe myself in three words they would be: friendly, realistic, and open-minded.
I love travelling and experiencing different cultures, which led me to teach in South Korea prior to teaching for TalktoCanada. It was wonderful because I was able to immerse myself in another culture and lifestyle that was very different from mine. Teaching with TalktoCanada allows me to do what I love; teach English and meet a lot of different individuals. I have the opportunity to interact with students of all different backgrounds and cultures, and I learn a lot from them. I am completely happy and lucky that I get to work with such wonderful students through TalktoCanada.
Words to live by: “The most important thing in life is to stop saying “I wish” and start saying “I will”. Consider nothing impossible, then treat possibilities as probabilities.”
Hello! My name is Heather Barnes. I am currently finishing up my degree in International Development at the University of Guelph. I am fascinated by different cultures and languages. My favourite things include bike riding, hiking, Latin American culture, documentaries, theology, painting, reading, beautiful music, and watching “The Office”. The last book I read was a wonderful novel called “A Severe Mercy” by Sheldon Vanauken. If I had to describe myself in three words, they would be: friendly, idealistic, and complicated.
I had my first experience with ESL when I volunteered as a conversation partner for new immigrants to Canada. I loved this position, because it allowed me to learn the stories of people who have come to my country from all over theworld. This experience instilled a dream in me, to make ESL teaching the goal for my future career. Little did I know that the future would come so quickly! Working with TalktoCanada has been a dream come true, and I am enjoying every minute of it! I am making friends, sharing laughs, and learning just as much from my students as they are from me.
It is hard to choose a single motto that I live by, but I would say that “Live well, laugh often, love much” comes close. I am married to a wonderful organic farmer, and we live in a sweet little house in Guelph, although one day we dream of living on an island in the South Pacific.
TalktoCanada.com teachers are AMAZING individuals that all bring something unique and special to the class. They each use different methods to teach and accommodate their teaching styles to best help you achieve your goals. The great thing about TalktoCanada.com teachers is the rapport that they develop with their students. Students become more than just students and often become friends.
Currently TalktoCanada.com has just over 20 teachers on staff — they work with both individual clients and also our corporate clients delivering specific and tailored lessons that range from general conversation to ESP lessons (English for Special Purposes).
All of our teachers are native English speakers — and all are Canadians. Ask them anything about Canada and they should know the answer — except once someone asked me about the underground mall and tunnel in Toronto — and I really had no idea what they were talking about — until I Googled it and yes in fact there is the P.A.T.H in Toronto — who would have thought it was so famous??!!
Check out some of our Teacher’s of the Week to get a better idea about who they are and what they like to do:
My name is Laurie Bilokraly and I live in Kingsville, Ontario. Kingsville is the Southern most town in Canada and is situated on Lake Erie. I have my degree in Communication Studies from Wilfrid Laurier University. I have been married for 1 year and my husband and I are avid mountain bikes.The last book I read was Crowe Lake by Mary Lawson. I would describe myself as fun, outgoing and spontaneous.
“Pain is temporary. It may last a minute, an hour, a day or a year, but eventually it will subside and something else will take its place. If I quit, however, it lasts forever” — Lance Armstrong
What can you expect when working with TalktoCanada.com?
Before we start training companies and students in English, they have a very common and similar question. The question goes something like this, “How do you teach English?” The answer typically goes the same way. TalktoCanada.com will help you improve your English by teaching you exactly what you want to learn. Since starting TalktoCanada.com, we have trained all of our teaching staff to center around the idea of asking the student exactly what they want. Most students know what they want. The most common things are; business English, test preparation (TOEFL/IELTS), conversational English skills or vocabulary building. Sometimes a student doesn’t have anything particular that they want to focus on — this is also a great opportunity to touch on everything and determine which areas need the most work. Usually when students don’t know what they want they usually need help with their confidence. Confidence is a big concern for a lot of 2nd language speakers and by working with a tutor you have the opportunity to talk, practice and make mistakes in a non-threatening environment.
Depending on the type of student you are, beginner, novice, intermediate or advanced, we will work with you to improve all the areas that you feel you need help with.
If your looking for more detailed information about our teaching methods I suggest you read the following blog posts below:
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